


Architect of His Own Betrayal

by valda



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: A New Interpretation of Canon Scenes, I'm very sorry, Inferiority Complex, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-08-13 01:50:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7957699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valda/pseuds/valda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The one from the village,” Ren says immediately, and Hux knew it, he already knew it, but it is impossible. “FN-2187,” Ren says, as if Hux doesn’t know intimately which Stormtrooper he means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Architect of His Own Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rudbeckia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/gifts).



> For rudbeckia, who encouraged this nonsense

The bridge is suffused with panic, palpable despite the affected calm of his officers. They’ve never been in a situation like this, never fought off invaders. They’ve always been the ones doing the invading.

Hux supposes that’s still true, though it’s the most insidious form of invasion imaginable, to complete the entirety of the Stormtrooper program, to excel, to be eyed for command, to be perfect, only to turn traitor—

No, he thinks. Not confirmed.

Hux is stalking down the command platform, pushing unhelpful thoughts away, when a call comes from the pit to his left. “Sir, they’ve taken out our turbolasers.”

Hux doesn’t break stride, moving directly toward Mitaka’s console. He’s put off this order for too long and now he’s paid for it. “Use the ventral cannons,” he says.

“Yes, sir,” Mitaka acknowledges. “Bringing them online.” Precious seconds will pass as they warm up, seconds that could have been saved had Hux not been distracted by a possibility he could barely entertain.

“General Hux,” says a voice Hux is certainly not in the mood to hear at this moment, “is it the Resistance pilot?” Kylo Ren is descending upon the bridge, his chaotic, black-cloaked presence unbefitting Hux’s sleek, organized operation.

“Yes,” Hux says, barely keeping the venom from his voice, though he supposes Ren might attribute it to his anger at the situation, “and he had help. From one of our own.” Ren turns away at this, and Hux takes the opportunity to step a few feet down the platform. Ren can read minds. Presumably only when he’s working at it, but better safe than sorry. Hux’s own face might give away the tenor of his thoughts. “We are checking the registers now to identify which Stormtrooper it was,” Hux adds, gazing out across the pit at nothing in particular.

“The one from the village,” Ren says immediately, and Hux knew it, he already knew it, but it is impossible. “FN-2187,” Ren says, as if Hux doesn’t know intimately which Stormtrooper he means. Hux can’t keep himself from turning his head to look at Ren. Perhaps Hux’s feeble attempt at subterfuge was pointless. Perhaps Ren knows everything.

“Sir, ventral cannons hot,” Mitaka calls.

Hux doesn’t hesitate. Hesitation is a weakness he has indulged in once today, and it could have cost them everything. Never again.

“Fire,” he hisses.

~

Skulls, he’d said. Not heads. Skulls. It probably struck his officers as unusual, given that hair and skin and muscle and cartilage and any number of other things would have to be removed before a clean skull could be presented. But in the heat of the moment he’d said skulls, and he knows why.

He does not want to see FN-2187’s slack face. He does not want to look into FN-2187’s dead eyes.

FN-2187 is a traitor. He was supposed to be perfect. He was perfect. He was beautiful, body exquisitely sculpted, mind fastidiously honed. He was fast and strong and smart. He’d caught Phasma’s attention and it took a lot to do that.

He’d caught Hux’s attention, too, regulation workout uniform clinging to his muscular form as he bested opponent after opponent in the training ring. And later, expression invisible behind his helmet, introducing tactics that had Hux himself raising his eyebrows. FN-2187 epitomized the First Order. He represented everything it stood for. He was the ideal product of his father’s vision, and part of the first batch of Stormtroopers Hux had assisted with himself, when Hux was 11 years old.

Hux was entranced by this proof of concept made flesh. He saw FN-2187 and he saw victory, evidence of the rightness of his way of thinking.

When Hux gazed into FN-2187’s rich brown eyes, he saw himself—the way he should have been, the way his father wanted. Brendol Hux would have used FN-2187 as the benchmark for all future Stormtroopers, Hux had been sure.

When Hux kissed FN-2187, when he scrabbled clumsily at his armor, when he sucked at his neck and fell to his knees to pleasure him, he imagined that he was absorbing FN-2187’s strength, his power, his perfection. When FN-2187 moaned, curled his strong fingers in Hux’s hair, Hux knew he was important. That he had worth.

And now FN-2187 is a traitor, and there is a pit inside Hux that he is not sure can ever be filled.

To hell with Ren and his droid. Hux sends in an airstrike. Destroy him. Destroy FN-2187.

Destroy Hux’s weakness once and for all.


End file.
